The Dillon tribune., 1887-12-02
HOW BILL NYE WORKS.

4 ynlk Concerning One of the Most
Popular Funny Men Of the Day.
TX. Marvel says: "a man ;,e', ME to
write something: he might - well ask
the skies to rain Bill Nyc sars: If you
want me to write just tell N" TO write
something and then let m. alone
He generally keeps !, supply Of some
twenty subjects pretty well il haut: that
can be written up on shoc; notice. He
keeps u note book just like the rest, 4
literary rag bag ''into whicl. lots and lots
goes III, and nothing was ever yet known
to come out He thinks there Is 4 fortune
in store for the man who invests manu-
scripts with some property like 4 magnet
that by passing them over the rubbish of
II note boo,. sill attract To themselves
Just what belongs.
He cannot write lin order He has
attempted 3 few times TO write by meas
ure so many words. SO rluch pay. such Il
length, such ~ subject. why, you laight
as well pack rlc down into my irunde
bed and tel! me to sleep. can feel the
cramp in my limbs yet He cannot
even write under headings, as his subject,
like a stick in water. is apt to turn all
sorts of crooks and elbows before he gets
to the bottom.
One of The Worlds staff brought him
a piece of his manuscript the o: her day.
his thumb resting on Il spot OF it that We,
bursting with laughter. For heavens
sake, Bill, how did you ever get this
tnrn on that: Did you sit down i'll cold
blood and manufacture it. or did it come
tn you all Of sudden ''Thc pen was
half through the joke before l saw it,"
said he.
He never rewrites an article by any
chance. often interlincs, crosses ont or
doubles up, but the copy goes to the Of
flee just that way. 1t all comes just
about az he wants it, faster than he can
write it. He sometimes has to stop to
spear a word which is careening about in
vacancy. but never an expression. He
must finish one article while in that par
ticular mood 1t is useless to try to re-
call it in any particular shape if inter-
rupted, and he has lost much valuable
matter in this way. He intends making a
study Of more continued writing. but
breads the attempt.
On his first writing he used Il high desk,
but later on, finding that height abso-
autely necessary to composition deliber-
;ttely broke himself Of the habit BY writ
ing on his knee. which now constitutes
his desk ON all ordinary occasions. He
uses q little pencil, likes very fine pen
point He makes the finest copy of any
writer he knows except one. He hates
proof reading. and says II man has TO suf-
fer so little nowadays by mistakes. owing
to the excellent proof work done by the
newspapers, that he had much rather suf-
fer that 'little' than read the proof so
long;
Much greater facility has come to him
ny practice. Also he has consciousness
that there is Il marked improvement j.:
the pith and finish Of his work. In this
he is supported by the opinions Of his best
friends, who are always prompt to give
helpful criticism" and by the dis.aste lie
now has for his earlier efforts. some of
which are quite unpalatable to him now.
'le has 10 fear whatever of running out''
Fr becoming stale. as he does not claim to
create, only 10 c!othe old subjects of liv-
ing interest in new form, and this can
walk side by side with humanity Just as
iorg as it or he lives. He has written in
all only about twelve years.
He gives his hes, mind work to his
every day friends, saving nothing because
II Is more valuable written. Befor" writ
ing he was al inim!tablc story teller and
Joke maker of that delicious, type tha,
shows the fun only with his eyes. Tie
only reason that he is less humorous now
n conversation than in his writing is on
The principle of turning nyer or, the
other side to resi- Il weary iIiusclc' The
hunorlst As the comedian. must tu1r, tc
the grave for relaxation -FaNric Ed
gar Thomas in Inter Ocean
cln Shill Of NTcp,, V.,,.,,